Ilfracombe
Coordinates: 51 ° 12 ′ N , 4 ° 8 ′ W
Ilfracombe is a small town with 12,510 inhabitants (2006) on the north coast of the south-west English county of Devon . It has a small natural harbor, which is dominated by the town's natural landmark, Hillsborough Hill, with the remains of a Celtic fortification from the Iron Age.
The manor of Chambercombe in the eastern part of the city goes back to the Norman knight Champernon (from Chambernon in France), who came to England with William the Conqueror . The building is first mentioned in 1086.
Ilfracombe consisted of two different parishes: the farmers had settled around the parish church and the fishermen had settled around the port. The land at the church belonged to the Champernowne family , that at the harbor belonged to the Bouchiers , Earls of Bath. The port gained early importance on the Bristol Channel . In 1208 the community provided King John I with a ship for his conquest of Ireland , and in 1247 it was a ship for the conquest of the Western Isles of Scotland. In addition, ships were sent from Ilfracombe for the siege of Calais , and two strong military units were stationed here to suppress the Irish. Standing on Lantern Hill by the harbor, the lighthouse has been in operation for over 650 years, making it the longest-serving in the UK .
Until the mid- 19th century were fishing and maritime trade , the main sources of income in Ilfracombe. In Victorian times, the city gradually developed into a holiday resort due to the increasing ferry service along the Bristol Channel. The realignment progressed even faster when an efficient railway network was created. However, the unfavorable location of the city in the hilly landscape, wedged between the cliffs and the sea, stood in the way of further changes on a large scale. As a result, the cityscape still shows a decidedly Victorian character. Many of the large, elegant houses became comfortable hotels.
The city has expanded around the old port. Today, fishing boats share the anchorage there with pleasure boats and with the Oldenburg , which regularly pans to the island of Lundy , 19 km away . There are also boat connections to Porthcawl in Welsh near Swansea . The port of Ilfracombe made spectacular headlines in the world press in 2012 after the British artist Damien Hirst had his 25 meter high bronze statue Verity erected there.
Twin cities
sons and daughters of the town
- Ruth Downie (* 1955), English writer
- Vic Gentils (1919–1997), Belgian sculptor
Web links
- Ilfracombe Town Council , official website (English)